Wireline guide tool

ABSTRACT

A wireline guide tool having a top section with an inner concave portion and a bottom section designed to attach to a stinger or on/off tool provides advantages for passing a wireline into the stinger. The stinger is attached to a packer within a casing of a well bore, without any tubing present. The inner concave portion of the top section of the wireline guide tool captures the wireline and funnels it into the stinger, effectively eliminating problems with achieving a proper alignment of the wireline for entry into the stinger.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/870,824, filed Aug. 28, 2013, entitled “Wireline GuideTool,” the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure pertains to a guide tool for properly aligningthe passage of a wireline and its associated equipment or devicesthrough a well bore that is fitted with a packer and an on/off tool inits bottom hole assembly.

Well bores of oil and gas wells are typically fitted with a variety ofequipment and structures to stabilize the well and facilitate drillingand the removal of oil or gas. Once all of the equipment and structuresare in place, it may be difficult to pass additional devices, such aswirelines, through the bore. Differences in internal diameter of thewell casing and internal diameter of any inserted equipment can makeproper alignment of the wireline a challenge. This is particularlychallenging with certain bottom hole assembly equipment such as packersand on/off tools.

What is needed, therefore, is a guide tool that is compatible withexisting well bore equipment and that will assist in aligning andpassing the wireline though the bore.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure pertains to a specialized guide tool thatattaches to an on/off tool used with a packer in a bottom hole assemblyand that effectively guides a wireline through the on/off tool.

Certain bottom hole assemblies for well bores utilize packers set in thecasing having an on/off tool, also called a stinger, attached to the topof the packer. The stinger screws into the top of the packer andeffectively becomes part of the packer. On the end of the tubing stringa completion overshot is made up. The completion overshot passes overthe stinger to create a connection and seal between the tubing and thepacker. The completion overshot can be turned by the tubing to releasethe connection and the seal from the stinger. Once this connection isreleased, the tubing and connection overshot can be pulled from thewell, leaving the stinger and packer set in the casing. Assemblies suchas this having no tubing in the well are particularly problematic forperforming wireline work though the casing and down through the packer.

In particular, the large inner diameter of the casing and the smallerinner diameter of the stinger make it very difficult for the wirelinetools to line up and travel through the packer. There can be a 1.5 inchgap between the inner diameter of the casing and the outer diameter ofthe stinger, making it difficult for the wireline tools to curve off thecasing wall and line up to pass through the inner diameter of thestinger in the center of the casing. Well bore deviation only compoundsthe problem. Wireline tools tend to go to the low side of the well,while the inner diameter of the stinger remains in the center. Standardpractice is to utilize bow springs, knuckle joints, and centralizers totry to guide the wireline tools from the large inner diameter of thecasing to line up with the small inner diameter of the stinger. However,these operations are hit or miss, with the wireline guide tools oftenlining up on the outside of the on/off tool rather than the inside.

The present wireline guide tool is advantageous over previous tools ormethods used to align wirelines through an on/off tool attached to apacker. The wireline guide tool has a large outer diameter for its topsection and bottom section. The tool is run into the well bore andpositioned onto the stinger, then released. The bottom section of thetool is designed to fit over the stinger so that it effectively becomesan extension of the stinger. The top section has an internal concaveshape surrounding its central inner diameter for receiving all wirelinesand funneling them down into the inner diameter and through the stinger.After all wirelines are placed that need to pass through the stinger andthe packer, the wireline guide tool is retrieved, leaving the well borein the same position. The stinger and packer remain in the samelocations, with all wirelines successfully passed through.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of an embodiment of the wirelineguide tool;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool;

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thewireline guide tool;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide toolattached to a stinger or on/off tool;

FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thewireline guide tool attached to a stinger or on/off tool;

FIG. 6 shows a depiction of how prior art systems or methods attemptedto direct a wireline through a stinger or on/off tool within a wellbore; and

FIG. 7 shows a depiction of how an embodiment of the wireline guide toolcan be used to direct a wireline into a stinger or on/off tool within awell bore.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-2 show side views of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool100. The wireline guide tool 100 has a top section 10 and a bottomsection 20. Bottom section 20 is designed to fit over and attach to anon/off tool or stinger of a bottom hole assembly. Top section 10 has aninner concave portion 15, as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thewireline guide tool 100. Bottom section 20 has an open inner portion 25for receiving an on/off tool or stinger. Top section 10 has an innerconcave portion 15, meaning it has an inner diameter that is greater atthe outer end and becomes narrower toward the center, for capturing anddirecting a wireline through the wireline guide tool 100.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool100, having a top section 10 and a bottom section 20, attached to astinger 150. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional side view of what isdepicted in FIG. 4. Stinger 150 fits within bottom section 20 ofwireline guide tool 100. When a wireline enters the inner concaveportion 15 of top section 10, it is funneled through the wireline guidetool 100 and directly into stinger 150. This effectively eliminates anyproblems with aligning the wireline with the inner diameter of thestinger 150.

FIG. 6 shows a depiction of a well bore 120 and an attempt to align awireline 170 with a stinger 150 without using the present wireline guidetool. The stinger 150 is part of an assembly located inside casing 180with a packer 160. The space between the inner diameter of the casing180 and the outer diameter of the stinger 150 clearly creates a problemfor aligning the wireline 170 with the inner diameter of the stinger150.

FIG. 7 depicts how the problem shown in FIG. 6 is solved using thewireline guide tool, in a well bore 120 utilizing a packer 160 andstinger 150 and no tubing. Placement of the bottom section 20 of thewireline guide tool 100 on the stinger 150 within the well bore 120effectively prevents wireline 170 from passing between the innerdiameter of the casing 180 and the outer diameter of the stinger 150.Instead, inner concave portion 150 of the top section 10 of the wirelineguide tool 100 funnels the wireline 170 into the wireline guide tool 100and directly into the stinger 150.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireline guide tool comprising: a top sectionhaving an inner concave portion with an inner diameter at an outer endof the wireline guide tool that is greater than an inner diameter at acenter of the wireline guide tool; a bottom section having an open innerportion designed to attach to a stinger in a bottom hole assembly of awell bore, wherein the wireline guide tool is designed so that awireline received in the inner concave portion of the top section passesinto the bottom section and directly into an attached stinger, whereinthe attached stinger is attached to a packer, wherein the stinger andpacker are located within a casing in the well bore, and wherein thecasing contains no tubing.